makeyourdaycount Volume 11, No. 1 • 2014
Letting GO of the past
with Terri Savelle Foy
“Talk” to the Tree by Lindsay Roberts
An amazing story:
Healed from a Lifetime of Pain
Recipes from the
MYDC Kitchen and more!
Give a gift 925 of inspiration! An estimated million people are hungry and malnourished Since 1997, Oral Roberts Ministries and Hunger Needs a VoiceÂŽ have given away over five million meals to hungry children all over the world. Your financial support allows us to continue our efforts in sending meals as well as the love of Jesus Christ to these children. In May, thousands of pounds of food will be distributed to the hungry in villages and orphanages in Ghana. Please consider joining us in feeding the hungry. Together, we can show the love of God to those in need. Click here to donate.
Click here to order Lindsay’s devoltional book!
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winter 2014
a note from lindsay
I want to encourage you to spend time in God’s Word like never before.
W
ith a busy schedule and the cares of life, it can be easy to overlook spending time in God’s presence, but I believe it’s so important to let Him guide you throughout 2014.
The Bible tells us clearly that the words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart are to be acceptable, or a delight, in the sight of the Lord, who is our strength and our redeemer (Psalm 19:14). How can He strengthen us and redeem us from difficulties if our words and our thoughts aren’t lined up with His Word? The Bible tells us that God loves you and cares for you deeply. He has a plan for your life, and with Him, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). You can place your faith in Him without fear, because He is faithful. So, I encourage you to let His Word guide your words, your thoughts, and your actions throughout 2014. I’m believing God for good things for you this year. As you follow Him, you can make every day count for the Kingdom of God!
Volume 11 No. 1 2014. Copyright ©2014 by Oral Roberts Evangelistic Association. No part may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved.
W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M
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Have you heard about the tree that talked?
“Talk�
to the Tree by Lindsay Roberts
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winter 2014
You may be thinking, “Lindsay, what on earth are you saying? Trees don’t talk!” But there’s something in Mark chapter 11 that gives us a different picture… And it can help you as you speak God’s Word in faith over your life. Now, you may remember that Mark 11 is the chapter where Jesus talks about how our faith can move mountains. He said in Mark 11:22–24, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” That’s one of the first scriptures I chose to memorize, because it says that when we believe what we say, then we can receive what we say—both good and bad! So, it’s important to speak God’s Word over our lives. If we look a little earlier in the chapter, we’ll see why Jesus was talking about the connection between our faith and our words. In Mark 11:12–14, we see that Jesus was traveling with His disciples when He began to feel hungry. He saw a fig tree from afar, and He saw it had leaves. Normally, once a fig tree was full of leaves, it was ready
to bear fruit. By all appearances, there should have been ripe figs on the tree. The Bible tells us that Jesus went to the tree hoping to find something to eat. But as soon as He came close enough, He discovered there were no figs! You see, the tree looked like it had figs; its leaves said, “There are figs here.” But when Jesus stood beneath the tree, the Bible says, He found nothing but leaves (Mark 11:13). In other words, it was as if the tree was saying, “No figs!” Mark 11:14 tells us that in response, Jesus said to the tree, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” Now, why did Jesus answer the tree unless it was speaking to Him, in a sense? No, the tree wasn’t using spoken words, but it was saying something. It was giving a message to Jesus that it had figs, but when Jesus went to get the figs, He discovered the tree was “lying.” It didn’t have any figs after all. So Jesus answered the tree and said, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.” His disciples heard what He said. But nothing happened immediately…at least not that anyone could see. To the natural eye, the fig tree still looked green and healthy. But the next morning, they passed the tree again, and this time it was W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M
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dried up at the roots. Peter remembered what happened the day before and said, “Master, behold. The fig tree that you cursed is now withered away.” And that’s when Jesus responded, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”
When Jesus first spoke to the fig tree, it didn’ t look in the natural like anything happened. In a sense, Jesus was saying to Peter, “Have faith in God. When God speaks, the earth responds. And you’re to have the same kind of faith.” As members of God’s family, I believe we can have the same kind of faith that God has…the kind of faith that declares what the Bible says, expects an answer, and keeps on believing until you receive what you have believed for. You may be facing a “mountain” of difficulties, spiritually speaking. But
Jesus is saying, “According to your faith in prayer, begin to speak to that thing! With the words of your mouth in prayer, tell that ‘mountain’ to move. Do not doubt in your heart. Believe the things you say shall come to pass. When you speak according to God’s Word, you can expect a miracle.” We have a Bible right, in faith and through prayer, to speak to the difficult situations in our life, and we have a right to curse the work of the devil at the root. We can speak God’s Word, in faith, to what is going on in the spirit realm, and we can expect God to spiritually move that mountain. It may take time to see the results we are believing for. When Jesus first spoke to the fig tree, it didn’t look in the natural like anything happened. But the next day, it was dried up at the roots. As you speak to your situation in faith, using God’s Word according to His will, don’t be discouraged if it doesn’t look like anything is immediately happening. Instead, keep believing God that His Word is at work in the situation. Don’t doubt in your heart, but believe that the things you say, that you haven’t yet seen, shall come to pass according to God’s will for your life. As long as it is in line with God’s Word and His will, you can have what you say, according to Mark 11:22–24.Y
Prayer
Covering Your Children with
Richard and I have used a prayer cloth and God’s Word as a point of contact to pray over our children for many years. The prayer cloth is not magic or a good luck charm. It’s a symbol of our faith in God’s Word and His power to work in our lives. Richard has prayed over these prayer cloths, and we believe with all our hearts that it can be a powerful point of contact for you to release your faith in God’s Word for your children and the young ones in your life. I’ve also gathered scriptures for you in my booklet called “Covering Your Family with God’s Word.” You can pray these scriptures and declarations every day over your loved ones. Just go to oralroberts.com/bookstore to order yours today.
–Lindsay
Richard Roberts
School of
page 6: AD for 2014 Miracles Calendar
Fre
e e
onlin
!
Join Richard and Lindsay Roberts on an exciting teaching journey from Genesis through Revelation! You can explore the first four courses in the video series: *The Pentateuch, The Historical Books, The Poetical & Wisdom Books, and The Major & Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. See how relevant and powerful Biblical truths are to us today. For more information or to register for the courses, visit som.oralroberts.com and start your Journey today! *The Pentateuch—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy The Old Testament Historical Books—Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1&2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther i n t e r 2Books—Job, 014 The8Poetical &wWisdom Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament—Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi
news&views
Letters from viewers, and news around the Studio
HAPPY 18th BIRTHDAY! The first Make Your Day Count program aired on March 11, 1996!
New School of Miracles student I’ve been receiving prayer from your ministry for about a year now, and I recently signed up for the School of Miracles. I’m learning what you mean, Lindsay, about being healed “as you go!”
Online anytime! Thanful for being able to watch [you] online...! –Kath To go to the Make Your Day Count broadcast archives, click here.
–Lisa from Tennessee
Now abides faith, hope, and love...but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13
W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M Oral & Evelyn Roberts, 2004
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in the
MYDC kitchen
Golden Carrot Soup ingredients: 1 box chicken stock 6 cans sliced carrots, drained 1 medium onion, diced 1 clove fresh garlic, minced pinch of powdered ginger 2 cups ginger ale, can be diet 2 teaspoons butter 2 stalks celery, finely diced 1 cup half and half 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
A delicious choice when you feel like a bowl of soup.
directions SautĂŠ the celery, onion, and garlic in butter until translucent. Add to soup pot with chicken stock, ginger ale, powdered ginger, and carrots. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Add half and half and cheese to pot and mix thoroughly. Place mixture in a blender and puree. You can also use an immersion blender. Be careful because soup will be hot. Serve with fresh mint garnish.
Sweet Potato Squash medley ingredients: 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced 4 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced 1 bulb fennel, chopped largely 1 red onion, chopped largely 4 tablespoons coconut oil ½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper
T his is a side dish! great
directions Preheat the oven to 425°. Mix the sweet potatoes, squash, fennel, onion, salt and pepper with 2 tablespoons of the coconut oil and roast in oven for 25–35 minutes or until golden, stirring once halfway through. In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, orange juice, and honey to make the salad dressing. Gradually add the remaining coconut oil to the dressing, whisking until blended. Pour the dressing over the veggies, mix gently, and serve warm.
Here’s a little treat for your sweet tooth! Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Delights ingredients: Bag of individually wrapped chocolatecovered caramels Bag of pretzels Bag of pecan halves
directions Place pretzels on a lined baking sheet; top each with a chocolate-covered caramel candy. Bake at 325o for 3–5 minutes to soften. Remove promptly and press in pecan halves. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
You are so L oved!
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winter 2014
God’s love for you
is declared throughout the Bible. So, you can place these words in your heart to remind yourself all year long how much you are loved! Long before he laid down earth’s foundations, he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. —Ephesians 1:4 MSG Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. —Romans 8:38-39 NIV For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. —John 3:16 KJV He is loving toward everything he has made. —Psalm 145:13 NIRV
The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the person who trusts in him. —Psalm 32:10 NIV God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. —Romans 5:5 NIV God is love, and all who live in love, live in God, and God lives in them. —1 John 4:16 NLT He loves us with unfailing love; the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. —Psalm 117:2 NLT Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! —1 John 3:1 NKJV
Letting
Don’t go home...
go
of the past
(...so you can receive what God has ahead for you!)
Terri Savelle Foy, daughter of wellknown ministers Jerry and Carolyn Savelle, appeared to have a perfect life, but then her byperfect Richardlife Roberts seemingly took a different turn. Here, she shares how God freed her from challenges in her past to pursue His calling on her life.
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winter 2014
I
was born again at a young age and was blessed to grow up in an amazing home, with parents who believed God’s Word. I was an overachiever who always wanted to make mom and dad proud. I was a cheerleader and the homecoming queen; I even dated the quarterback. My life looked perfect. But at the age of fourteen, I was violated. I hid it and never told anybody. But what happened to me dramatically affected my self-image. The Bible says, “As a man thinketh in his own heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7). And I felt ugly and insecure. Even when I became homecoming queen, I thought I was ugly. I thought to myself, “I won because I’m nice.” I had all this pain inside, but I wasn’t dealing with it. Instead, I tried to make things look right on the outside. My insecurities and pain led me into some decisions that weren’t good or godly. Right before I graduated from college, my life fell apart. I found out that I was pregnant—and I wasn’t married. Everything I worked to keep hidden came to light. All I could think of was running away. In my
Terri holds up a photo of herself with Oral Roberts.
mind, Satan was magnifying how bad it would be to tell my mom and dad and how they would be ashamed of me. More than anything, I didn’t want to humiliate them. But I knew I had to deal with it. And I’m so glad I did, because the way my parents responded was exactly the way our heavenly Father responds. He’s not going down a list to see if you’ve performed perfectly to determine whether or not He loves you. He loves you regardless. I decided to write my mother a letter, confessing everything. I wrote,
“I’m a disgrace to the Savelle family. I understand if you want to disown me. I’ve broken your heart. I’m not the angel you thought I was.” When my mother received my letter, she called me. I picked up the phone, heard her voice, and started sobbing. But she said to me, “Do you know what I did when I got your letter? I said, ‘We’re going to have a grandbaby!’” It had to be God’s supernatural strength and grace for her to respond that way. I’m sure she was brokenhearted, but to respond “I love you” W W W. M A K E Y O U R D AY C O U N T. C O M
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Letting
go He said, “I am the
Healer
of the brokenhearted...”
was amazing! My dad called me and did the same. I kept saying, “I’m sorry, daddy.” And he said, “Sweetheart, this does not change my love for you.” My parents didn’t condone my sin, but they supported me, and it just meant the world to me! Even though I repented, I struggled to receive God’s forgiveness and forgive myself. Satan consumed me with guilt. I was so ashamed and filled with insecurity. Now, what’s cool is where Oral Roberts comes into my story. You see, after I finished college and got married, my husband and I started working in the ministry. Again, everything looked fine on the outside. But on the inside, I just didn’t feel like I was as good as other people. But then I attended a ministry conference. Oral Roberts was there, and he sat by my dad. As we greeted each other, he pointed his finger at me and said, “There’s something you’re not letting go of!” I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about. But I went to my hotel room that night and prayed, “Lord, what do I need to let go of?” I didn’t hear anything right away. Then one morning as I was praying—yet again— to be forgiven of my past sins, I had a vision. I saw myself standing at the foot of the cross. As I looked up, I saw Jesus’ feet, and His blood dripped onto the top of my head. In my heart, I heard the Lord say, “I’m washing the memories of the past away.” I watched His blood flow down to cover my heart, and He said, “I am the Healer of the brokenhearted.” Then His precious blood went all the way down to the bottom of my feet, and the Lord said, “The residue of sin is gone from you.” I needed that! I needed to see that His blood was real, and that its cleansing power was not just for other people; it was for me. Then I saw a big arm reach down from Heaven to hand me a clipboard. On it were the words, “This is an assignment for your life.” He handed me a set of keys and said, “These are the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to help you complete your assignment.”
...your past isn’t keeping you from God’s best; it’s your remembrance of your past that holds you back. Since that day, my favorite scripture has become John 17:4 from The Message Bible, which says, I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. That vision changed the course of my life! I heard someone say that your past isn’t keeping you from God’s best; it’s your remembrance of your past that holds you back. God wants us to repent, and then let it go. Stop remembering what God has forgiven and forgotten, because once you repent, it’s gone. Of course, I had to do some things to make that truth a reality in my life. What helped me, after I repented, was first of all to receive God’s forgiveness—to really believe that He meant it. I also set a goal to hear God’s Word consistently. And as I regularly heard the Word, it began to change me. I got to know the Lord in a way I had never known Him before. The second thing I had to do—and it was hard—was to forgive myself, because I let myself down so badly. One day in my quiet time with the Lord, He told me to write down all my pain. So I wrote down all the stuff I’d been through, all the people that I felt had hurt me, and all the times I had made some really big mistakes. After I
wrote it all down and prayed over it, the Lord told me to rip it up, as if I were just ripping it out of my heart, never to be remembered again. I really had to do that, and stop rehearsing the past. Ultimately, we overcome the devil by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony (Revelation 12:11). I can testify today that my life is changed! And as others hear what I’ve been through, they can be set free too and see that God forgives us the first time we ask! He really is a loving Father! And not only that, He has a plan, and time is ticking. It’s time to let go of the past and get moving…because everything God has for us is ahead of us! Y
Stop
remembering what God has forgiven
Healed from
a Lifetime of Pain! W
It was very painful to look at the computer screen, but
I was desperate.
hen I was a girl, I sustained a neck injury when someone dove into a pool and landed right on my head as I was swimming. A few years later I was in a bad car accident which caused further damage. The result was 25 years of agonizing neck pain. I went to chiropractors and doctors and was on pain medication for years. I underwent several spinal blocks which should have numbed the pain but did not. The side-effects from long-term use of pain medications put me in the hospital more than once, and I began having pain in my shoulder as well. Finally, my orthopedic doctor told me I needed surgery to correct the herniated vertebrae in my neck, and without it, I would continue to get worse. I had been searching and wondering about the Holy Spirit when I found the
Richard Roberts School of Miracles online. I did not know anything about healing, nor did I know who Richard Roberts was, but I noticed the online course called “The Gifts of the Spirit,” and decided to try it. It was very painful even to look at the computer screen, but I was desperate. Immediately after the class started, Richard stopped and said that someone watching online was being healed of neck pain. I felt a tingling in my neck and in utter shock, I began to turn my neck this way and that—my debilitating neck pain was gone! A few minutes later he stopped again and said someone was healed of pain in and under the left shoulder and shoulder blade. That was me too! I was totally healed! I praise Jesus for helping me find this online course! Y Donna from Cleveland, Ohio
When you need someone to agree in prayer with God’s Word… for a job, family, finances, healing or any need you are facing… We’re here for you. For prayer anytime, call 918-495-7777, or log on to our website at www.oralroberts.com/prayer.
Join your host Lindsay Roberts for a
refreshing
half-hour of encouragement, prayer, delicious recipes, and stories from people whose lives have been touched by God’s power. Click here to watch MYDC on demand, or check your local TV listings for the latest dates and times.
Lindsay Roberts with her guest, Pastor Ireta Willoughby of Echos of Faith in Ontario, California
Click here to read the other issues of MYDC online magazine!
Chloe and Jordan are always cooking up some fun in the MYDC Kitchen